Evaluation of the prevalence of skin prick test positivity to Alternaria and Cladosporium in patients with suspected respiratory allergy

Abstract

D'Amato G, Chatzigeorgiou G, Corsico R, Gioulekas D, Jäger L, Jäger S, Kontou‐Fili K, Kouridakis S, Liccardi G, Meriggi A, Palma‐Carlos A, Palma‐Carlos ML, Pagan Aleman A, Parmiani S, Puccinelli R Russo M, Spieksma FThM, Torricelli R, Wüthrich B. Evaluation of the prevalence of skin prick test positivity to Alternaria and Cladosporium in patients with suspected respiratory allergy. A European multicenter study promoted by the Subcommittee on Aerobiology and Environmental Aspects of Inhalant Allergens of the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology. This trial was undertaken to study, in several geographically spread European countries, the prevalence of skin prick test (SPT) positivity to Alternaria (A) and Cladosporium (C) in subjects with nasal and/or bronchial symptoms of suspected allergic cause. Each patient completed an anamnestic questionnaire and underwent SPT with a panel of common inhalant allergens and also A and C supplied by three different laboratories, to allow for manufacturer bias. Specific scrum IgE determination was carried out only in subjects with SPT positivity to A and/or C with an immunoassay system. In nine European allergology centers, a total of 877 subjects was enrolled in the trial; 83 of them showed SPT positivity to A and/or C; only nine patients showed monosensitization to A, and none to C The highest percentage of positive subjects was found in Spain (20%); the lowest in Portugal (3%). In the other seven centers, the variation was 7–10%. The age range of mold‐positive subjects was 5–60 years. Rhinitis was by far the most common symptom, whether associated or not with asthma and/or conjunctivitis.

Aeroallergens sensitization in an allergic paediatric population of Cova da Beira, Portugal

“…Moulds sensitisation prevalence was 11.2 %, a similar value to those founded by other authors 23,32 . However this result is very discrepant from other portuguese studies [14][15][16]33,34 showing lower values (3 %).…”

Thunderstorm-associated asthma in an inland town in south-eastern Australia. Who is at risk?

“…Earlier work implicates Alternaria exposure as a cause of asthma exacerbation in sensitized individuals although its role during thunderstorms has not been investigated [27±29]. Sensitization to Cladosporium is associated with diagnosis of asthma and rhinitis [30,31] but the possible importance of the fungus in triggering acute asthma exacerbation has not been previously reported. Aerobiological studies show that levels of Cladosporium spores in ambient air may be amongst the highest of the fungi and its role in causing exacerbations of asthma deserves further investigation [32,33].…”

Presence of <i>Mycoplasma</i> Spp. in Patients with Asthma or Allergic Rhinitis

“…Some studies have shown that the majority of the skin prick test positive patients are less than 10 years old [18]. Rhinitis was the most common symptom in positive skin prick test persons whether associated or not with asthma and or conjunctivitis [19]. The main contribution of this study is that Mycoplasma spp.…”